Disasters

"The Obama administration gave conditional approval on Monday for Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. to start drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean this summer."

"Railroad tracks where an oil train derailed Wednesday in central North Dakota had been inspected by BNSF Railway a day earlier and by the Federal Railroad Administration about three months before the fiery derailment, an FRA spokesman said Friday."

"A transformer fire at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y. sent plumes of black smoke into the air on Saturday and raised concerns that the foam used to extinguish the flames could pose an environmental hazard."

"The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has been without a permanent boss for 214 days."

"Environmental groups filed suit Thursday in a bid to block development of the East Coast's first natural gas export facility - in the Chesapeake Bay off Calvert County."

"A drill ship at the heart of Shell's hunt for Arctic oil flunked a Coast Guard inspection last month when a piece of anti-pollution gear that already cost its owner millions in fines failed again."

"A series of tornadoes, including a major twister, touched down southwest of Oklahoma City on Wednesday, injuring several residents of a trailer park, causing severe flooding and the escape of bears from a wildlife park, officials said."

"A train carrying highly volatile crude oil derailed and erupted into flames on Wednesday morning, forcing the evacuation of a small town in North Dakota, according to local and federal officials."